Just looking for observations about Judy. She was a tremendous doubles player by her record. She was probably a player ranked in the teens and twenties for a decade until the late 60's when she made a Wimbledon final and became a top ten player for awhile. Her resume looks some like Betty Stove. Did she play like Betty - big woman with big game?

This thread just reminded me that Judy emailed me the other day and she wants to sell some of her original Teddy Tinling dresses if anyone is interested in purchasing some. Please send me a message and I can liaise with Judy on this. I already have one of Judy's in my collection so I don't need any more. But the offer is there for other fans...

She was a late bloomer. She did not reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament outside Australia until she was 29 years old. From Wimbledon in 1967 until the end of her career, she reached at least the quarterfinals in half of the Grand Slam singles tournaments she played (ten out of twenty). She reached at least the quarterfinals 15 times out of 45 career Grand Slam singles tournaments. She won 6 of 7 Federation Cup singles matches. Dalton was one of the original "Virginia Slims 9," the nine players who in 1971 joined the break-away Virginia Slims tour organized by Gladys Heldman.

In 1970, she completed a Career Grand Slam in women's doubles. She won four Australian women's doubles titles and one mixed doubles title. She won one French Championships and one Wimbledon women's doubles title. She won two US Open women's doubles titles. Five of her 8 Grand Slam women's doubles titles were with Margaret Court, two with Lesley Turner Bowrey, and one with Rosemary Casals. Her mixed doubles title was with Tony Roche.

She was always knocking about there during the early/mid-sixties but just couldn't make that final push to break into the top 10.

She was pretty unlucky at Wimbledon in 1966 when she ran into Maria Bueno in the last 16 and pushed her to 6-3 4-6 6-2. Maria had to really dig deep before bringing out her best tennis in the final set.

She really should have been the #8 seed at Forest Hills that year instead of Donna Fales but missed a big opportunity of reaching the semi-finals and perhaps breaking into the top 10 when she lost in 3 sets to Kerry Melville and finished around #11 or 12.

Perhaps the retirement of Margaret Smith gave some of the Aussie girls new heart for she snuck into the top 10 for the first time in 1967 and then she had her best year in 1968.

Although Billie-Jean definitely had the edge on her in the 1968 Wimbledon final she pushed her all the way at 9-7 7-5 and perhaps she has some regret about her quarter with BJ there in 1969. If the tennis wasn't exactly the greatest quality it was a really exciting match as the crowd were right behind her as she succumbed 4-6 7-5 8-6 twice being within 2 points of victory.

I firmly believe that but for the lucky shot of BJ's at 4-5 15-15 in the second set of her semi with Ann Jones at Wimbledon in 1968 Judy would have been champion that year.

Judy Dalton, with her arms open wide, acknowledges her defeat by Billie Jean King in the Wimbledon women's singles quarter-finals in 1969.

JUDY Dalton expects she will be carrying some extra equipment on her future visits to Melbourne Park, when the 35th member of the Tennis Australia hall of fame visits the bronze bust of her 1968 self in Garden Square. ''I've said I'll take back a little dishcloth in years to come and wipe the poop off it,'' the former Wimbledon finalist says cheerily.

Dalton may have played in the shadow of the great Margaret Court, but hers was still a fine - and typically late-flourishing Australian - career. The former Judy Tegart may joke that ''mine was a bit late, that was the only trouble; in this day and age they would have had me on the shelf!'' - but she was also a key figure in the women's tennis revolution. Indeed, few can be as proud as the 75-year-old that the WTA will this year celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Yet the story of the remarkable build-up to her 1968 Wimbledon semi-final against Nancy Richey is less well-known. Dalton was warming-up at Queen's Club, the practice venue of the time, when the courtesy car booked to transport her the busy eight kilometres to the All England Club for a 2pm start on centre court failed to arrive. As did, rather disconcertingly, the replacement car she called.

Judy Dalton (Tegart) makes a return during a women's singles match at Wimbledon in 1968.

''So by this time I'm getting a bit stressed,''

''So by this time I'm getting a bit stressed,'' she recalls. ''Then finally a next car came, and when we get to Southfields station it has a flat tyre, and by this time it was about one o'clock, and they'd sent the police out to see when the car was coming, because there were no mobile phones or anything in those days.
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''Then a man came along in a Rover, with the roof open, and he was stopped at the lights, and I said to him, 'Are you going to Wimbledon?' and he said, 'Yes', and I said, 'You'll have to take me to the front gate - if you've got tickets to the centre court, well, if you don't get me there you won't see me'. He said, 'Oh, fine', so I bundled all my stuff in and told my brother he'd have to find his own way there.

''When we got near I said, 'You've just got to keep driving through all this', and then the policeman saw me and ushered all the traffic out of the way, opened up the gates and the man said, 'I'm not allowed in', and the policeman said, 'You drive in', and he drove me up to the main entrance.
That year, in her victorious semi-final, Dalton wore a dress designed for her by Ted Tinling, which she wore again in 1990.

That year, in her victorious semi-final, Dalton wore a dress designed for her by Ted Tinling, which she wore again in 1990.

''It's hysterical when I think about it. Do you know that to this day, I have no idea what his name was, but he sent me a telegram when I got to the final saying, 'All the best of luck, from the man in the Rover car'.''

There was no time to get nervous, for what little was left was needed to eat and change. Dalton then played the best match of her life to follow her momentous upset of Court in the quarters, thrashing Richey 6-3, 6-1, before going on to lose a close final 9-7, 7-5 to top seed Billie Jean King. Still, she won a career grand slam in doubles, with 11 finals for six titles, including with Court at Wimbledon in 1969, and one mixed, with Tony Roche.

Yet Dalton was in the news as recently as last year, for a different type of achievement: as part of the 42-year reunion of the ''Original Nine'', who defied the tennis establishment in 1970 and signed symbolic $1 contracts to start a professional women's tour that is today worth tens of millions. There is a famous picture of eight of the nine, joined by promoter Gladys Heldman, smiling as they hold up dollar bills. Dalton still has hers. She is the only one.

That year, in her victorious semi-final, Dalton wore a dress designed for her by Ted Tinling, which she wore again in 1990.

''It's hysterical when I think about it. Do you know that to this day, I have no idea what his name was, but he sent me a telegram when I got to the final saying, 'All the best of luck, from the man in the Rover car'.''

There was no time to get nervous, for what little was left was needed to eat and change. Dalton then played the best match of her life to follow her momentous upset of Court in the quarters, thrashing Richey 6-3, 6-1, before going on to lose a close final 9-7, 7-5 to top seed Billie Jean King. Still, she won a career grand slam in doubles, with 11 finals for six titles, including with Court at Wimbledon in 1969, and one mixed, with Tony Roche.
Yet Dalton was in the news as recently as last year, for a different type of achievement: as part of the 42-year reunion of the ''Original Nine'', who defied the tennis establishment in 1970 and signed symbolic $1 contracts to start a professional women's tour that is today worth tens of millions. There is a famous picture of eight of the nine, joined by promoter Gladys Heldman, smiling as they hold up dollar bills. Dalton still has hers. She is the only one.

Dalton today with the outfit Tinling designed for her for the final and which was donated to the National Sports Museum. Photo: Supplied

''It was pretty courageous in a way,'' she agrees, but modestly, recalling that the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia suspended Dalton and compatriot Kerry Melville Reid from the French Open and Wimbledon in 1971. While eventually admitted by international officials who refused to classify them as pros, given the token nature of their contracts, the LTAA banned the national sponsor, Slazenger, from supplying any equipment.

Now, she can scarcely believe how much tennis in general has altered, and the Australian Open in particular, since its move from overcrowded, outdated Kooyong in 1988. ''It's staggering, really. And now with the redevelopment it's all going to change so much more,'' says Dalton, a widowed grandmother of three, who spent five years in the top 10, retired in 1977 and remains the president of the Australian Fed Cup Tennis Foundation.

Roger Federer is Dalton's current favourite to watch, she respects Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, and has a Scottish soft spot for the touch of Andy Murray. Among the women, ''you have to admire Serena [Williams], she's just amazing when she's on''. And Sam Stosur? ''I love watching Sam, but it's very harrowing, I must say, 'cos you never know what's going to happen. She's got everything; it's just sad that she can't sort of put it together.''

In her own career, Dalton's proudest achievement was the two-woman Fed Cup win with Karen Krantzcke in Germany in 1970. On clay, their worst surface. Without even a manager, just a Brisbane journalist drafted in to sit at courtside.

''And we beat everybody, didn't lose a rubber. We had no reserves or anything, so it was pretty special,'' beams Dalton, before recalling with sadness Krantzcke's death from a heart attack while jogging in the United States at the age of just 31.

Dalton, meanwhile, still active and involved, is busily organising Tuesday's 25th anniversary Fed Cup Foundation lunch, and will see her bust unveiled at a ceremony on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday week. She has asked her friends to carry wet cloths with them in future years to keep it all looking nice.

For a champion of the women's game, in several respects, it's surely the least we can do.

Hi guys. I attended the Judy Tegart Dalton tribute day at Kooyong a few months ago and got to play with the 'Old Fruit' herself as well as some of the other stars of the past like Di Fromholtz, Janet Young, Wally Masur, John Fitzgerald etc.

Judy was lots of fun and was interviewed by Kerryn Pratt as well as roasted by a few players. I got a fun pic with Judy sitting on my lap and Janet Young on the left and Lesley Turner on the right.

Do you think she would ever consider coming on here as Nancy Richey did? She sounds like she would be a blast.

You should see the thread on Denver 1972 TV-there is a lot of Frankie and Nancy in the 12 minutes!

P.S. Lesley still exudes good looks and class.

Hi Rollo. I don't think Judy would come on here as she really isn't technologically savvy. She is adorable and still has that same cheeky sense of humour and playfulness that she always had. Loved by all who know her.